Col (R) Earl B Young, of Rome, Georgia, passed away at 102 years old on Saturday, December 4th at Redmond Regional Medical Center, in Rome Georgia.
Earl was born on July 11,1913 in Casper, Wyoming. He was preceded in death by his wife Virginia B. Young. Earl is survived by Ray A. Young of Rome, Earl B. Young Jr. of Colorado, Robert A. and Lora Young of Rome, Richard E. and Debbie Young of Virginia, Lynne Snead of California, and Shannon Young of Arizona, 11 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Asked of his first memories, Earl often retold the story of a time when he was five years old. He was sitting on his front porch watching a parade going down the street. The parade was in celebration of the ending of World War I, Armistice Day (11 Nov, 1918).
Earl enlisted in the Regular Army on 19 June 1936 as a Flying Cadet stationed at Randolph Field, San Antonio Texas. On 21 June 1937 he was assigned to the 36th Pursuit Squadron, 8th Pursuit Group when he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. He progressed through the ranks and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 7 August 1943. He was transferred overseas to the Twelfth Fighter Command, a part of the Mediterranean Coastal Command, as Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations. Then assigned to the 321st Bombardment Group, as Deputy Commander, and later Commander, in Corsica, later Bimini, Italy where he flew B-25 bomber missions through the Brenner Pass into Germany.
He returned to the United States as Chief, Plans Division, U.S. Army Air Transport Command in Aug 1945. He was then assigned as Special Assistant to the Commanding General, Air Transport Command in Apr 1947. He was then assigned to Joint Chiefs of Staff, Special Joint Planning Group for Continental U. S. defense on January 1948. On 22 Nov 1948, he was promoted to Colonel. He was quickly assigned as Executive to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force in Mar, 1949. In 1951, Col Young was appointed as the first commander of the 18th Air Force at Donaldson Air Force Base in Greenville, SC. He was then sent overseas to the Joint U.S. Military Mission, Ankara, Turkey, in Feb 1952. Returning to the United States in Feb 1954 to Hunter Air Force Base, in Savannah, Georgia, where he was assigned to serve as Director of material, 38th Air Division, Heavy Bombardment. In Sept 1957, he was assigned to the Pentagon, Headquarters, United States Air Force, Office of the Assistant for Mutual Security. Later he served as Deputy to the Assistant for Mutual Security. On 10 June 1962 he retired from the Air Force.
During his active service he was awarded the following medals: Silver Star Medal, Purple Heart, Air Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Air Force Service Award with four Oak-Leaf Clusters.
In 2003, the newly reactivated 18th Air Force (18AF) sought out their first commander and recognized his distinguished service by naming and dedicating the “Col Earl B. Young Conference Room” at the 18th Air Force headquarters, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois in his honor. Col Young has been a regular participant in conferences and meetings with 18AF as a respected mentor and friend.
In Aug of 2012, Earl moved to Rome, Georgia where he quickly became an active local celebrity in the community and the state. In Jan of 2013 he became a life-time member of the TigerFlight Foundation at Richard B. Russell Airport in Rome. The TigerFlight Foundation is a youth character development program designed to help youngsters to become “Pilots in Command of the rest of their life.” In this program students are encouraged to set goals and develop a plan to achieve those goals.
On his 100th birthday, 11 July 2013, Earl piloted one of the Rome TigerFlight Foundation’s Alon planes at Richard B. Russell Airport. In April of 2014, Earl was invited to attend a Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) meeting in Carrollton, Georgia. As a life member of MOAA he was asked to give a talk about some of his military experiences. He was then presented with the association’s “Challenge Coin” in recognition of his participation.
In Oct, 2014, he was inducted into the prestigious Airlift/Tankers Association’s Hall of Fame during a ceremony attended by several thousand in Nashville, Tennessee based on his leadership in reorganizing military air transportation, the formation of the Military Air Transport Service, and the establishment of 18AF, as well as being the first commander. A bronze bust of Col Young was presented at the ceremony and later placed on a pedestal in the Hall of Fame Park at Scott AFB.
In April of 2015, he was given an hour-long interview by a local radio station about his military and personal experiences. On 14 Jan 2015, Earl was asked to present at a Blue Star Marker Dedication at Oak Hill Berry College. The Blue Star Marker program is a national program that was created to honor the service of military personnel.
Earl continued to remain very active with his family, following his grandsons to football games and enjoying the “Sound of the Seven Hills”, Rome High School’s Marching Band. Earl never slowed down. He loved to go fishing. He stayed current with technology. He enjoyed Skyping with out-of-town friends and family, he emailed prolifically and enjoyed genealogy and writing his biography. He also remained very active with USAF activities and local flying in Rome area.
A Celebration of Life visitation for Earl will be held at the TigerFlight Association hangar at Richard B. Russell Airport from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday 13 Dec 2015. Rome High School AFJROTC will present the Colors and as, weather permitting, a “Missing Man” Tiger Flight squadron flyby will pass overhead around 3:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a memorial gift in his name be made to the TigerFlight Foundation at Richard B. Russell Airport, Rome Georgia. Address: 304 Russell Field Road, Rome, GA 30165; Phone number 706-295-7900; Email: info@tigerflightfoundation.org; Website: http://tigerflightfoundation.org/
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